Improvement in fences



.-J.SHAVER..

FENCE.

Pate med. July n. 1876.

film 179,733

".PEI'ERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WASNINGTON. D. C,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J. SHAVER, OF DRYDEN, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN FENCES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 179,733, dated July 11, 1876; application filed I May 25, 1676.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, WILLIAM J. SHAVER, of the town of Dryden, in the county of Tompkins and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Farm and Park Fences; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the lettors of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The object of my invention is to furnish a good looking, substantial, and durable fence, at a saving in labor and materials, and one in which ordinary rails can be used to the best advantage, to make the most fence out of the same number of rails. It is a fence, too, which can be easily taken down and removed without injury to the materials. It is made of posts and rails; or, instead of rails, boards may be used.

The posts A are set firmly in the ground at uniform distances, according to the length of the rails. The rails or boards B are then fastened to the posts by means of tough wire loops or clasps a,"made and secured as follows: in beginning a fence one end of a rail is placed up against the first post, and se cured by looping a wire over the end of.the rail, passing it around the back of the post, and forward again, embracing the railwith it, where the ends of the wire are firmly twisted and fastened. Having thus secured one end of the first rail, the other end of the rail is placed against the next post; another wire loop, with the ends firmly twisted together, is slipped over the end of the rail next to the near side of the post, and passed around the back of the post, through which, and in front of the post, the end of a second rail is inserted at an angle of about forty-five degrees to the line of the fence. The farther end of the lastmentioned rail is then carried around and lifted over the next post, thus making a gripefastener.

The length of the rail furnishes such lever' age that the wire loop is tightened and firmly embedded into the railsand posts, making it impossible for the rails to slip down.

Where boards or rails of equal length are used, they may be placed end to end, thus making a better-looking fence; but where the rails are not all of an exact length the ends may be lapped, in which case the fence is just as strong as though made the other way.

Figure 1 in the drawing is a perspective view of the fence with the rails placed end to end; Fig. 2, a view with the ends of the rails lapped.

A represents the posts; B, the rails, and a the wire loops.

It will be seen that this fence, being straight, is much more desirable than any crooked fence, which necessarily occupies more ground.

I am aware that other fences are made in which the rails are fastened with wire; but in those cases either the wires are passed through holes bored through the posts, involving much labor,\vhich is avoided by this fastener, or the wire is wound around the posts and tightened by twisting or fastening the ends.

. The great advantage of this fence over any other in use is, that it is a gripe or self-fastener. Looped ends of the fastener are so constructed, when adjusted to the post, 'that the corresponding rail of an adjoining panel must be inserted at an oblique angle to the fence, and in swinging the rail around in line with the fence the, tension of the wire increases, which binds the rails and post firmly together.

Instead of wire loops with the ends twisted together, any metallic clasp or loop of similar form, possessing sufficient toughness, may be used for the same purpose.

1 claim as my invention- The combination, in a fence, of the wireloop gripe-fastener a with the posts A and rails B, substantially as and for the purposes above described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signature in presence of two'wit-nesses.

WILLIAM J. SHAVER.

Witnesses:

D. W. RowLEY, B. B. WOODWORTH. 

